Tundra brake upgrade help

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whodini

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Well i'm ready to do the upgrade to the 231mm calipers. I love to fish and i need to tow my boat. That's why i''m going with the 231mm.

My concern is shaving my rims i've got the split spoke rims. Won't doing this put my wheels off balance? I've had a real hard time trying to get my wheels balanced. Now that they're finally balanced i don't want to throw them off balance. Can anybody who has done the upgrade comment on whether hitting the rims with the grinder has caused your wheels to go off balance? I was thinking of using spacers but the minimum size I can find here in Canada is 1" which would give me a ticket as my tires are already .5" out from my fender. I've searched and searched on this site and can't seem to find an answer. Can anybody help me out? Thanks
 
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whodini said:
Well i'm ready to do the upgrade to the 231mm calipers. I love to fish and i need to tow my boat. That's why i''m going with the 231mm.

My concern is shaving my rims i've got the split spoke rims. Won't doing this put my wheels off balance? I've had a real hard time trying to get my wheels balanced. Now that they're finally balanced i don't want to throw them off balance. Can anybody who has done the upgrade comment on whether hitting the rims with the grinder has caused your wheels to go off balance? I was thinking of using spacers but the minimum size I can find here in Canada is 1" which would give me a ticket as my tires are already .5" out from my fender. I've searched and searched on this site and can't seem to find an answer. Can anybody help me out? Thanks
Click to expand...
I'll be doing this mod late summer. I don't think it'll have too much affect since the spots you're grinding weight off are closer to the hub center which has less impact on tire balancing. If your grind near the outside edges, than it'd be a different story, but someone else may be able to chime in here that has done it.
I'm going to brush on some clear coat where I grind to prevent corrosion as well.
 
I've already got the 231mm calipers and pads so have already committed myself to them. I do a lot of trailering so for me it makes sense to go with the biggest brakes I can get. Stopping with my boat in tow is downright dangerous I don't want to skimp on the brakes anymore than I have to.

So can anybody else chime in that's already done the upgrade with the split spoke rims?
 
Unfortunately i don't have the split spoke style rims, but i'm thinking if you just get a little 5mm spacer before you put the wheels on, that should solve the problem no? That way when the wheels get rotated you don't have to worry about having to shave down the other wheels too.
 
Only problem with those 5mm spacers is once again my concern with them causing vibration. I guess I can get a set and see how it turns out theyre only about $20 a set anyway. If they don't pan out I'm just out some time and $20. I really wanted to use hubcentrics but having difficulties finding anything less than 1".
 
After going to all the trouble

with wheel spacers, that may or may not work, and then grinding on the wheels i'd suggest just swapping out the 231s for 199s. This way you know everythings "right" and you dont have to conpensate in order to make the 231s work. Also i think that if you explained the reason for the swap people would be fine with it.
 
I think you're right. Doesnt seem like anybody can give me a definite answer. I don't want to go through all this trouble just to have to take it all apart again. I'd really love to have the extra braking power but seems like it may not be worth all the headache if things don't turn out the way I expect.
 
Why not get some different wheels like the stock 5 stars? I had the split 6 wheels also and Picked up some mint condition stock 5 star wheels for $150 on Craigslist. I think the split 6 wheels are ugly anyways:p
 
Lol! I kind of like the look of the split spokes. Just looking for another set of rims will take forever. The hard water is gone and now the lakes are begging to be christened by the boat. I'm dying to go fishing lol! Our season up here is short due to our crazy winters. Just want to get the brakes done asap so I can get to the water safely.
 
Someone correct me

whodini said:
I think you're right. Doesnt seem like anybody can give me a definite answer. I don't want to go through all this trouble just to have to take it all apart again. I'd really love to have the extra braking power but seems like it may not be worth all the headache if things don't turn out the way I expect.
Click to expand...

iff im wrong but i dont thinks there isnt any difference in power between the 199s or 213s. But that said either are going to be better then what you have now.
 
jrm said:
iff im wrong but i dont thinks there isnt any difference in power between the 199s or 213s. But that said either are going to be better then what you have now.
Click to expand...

The most important factor contributing to performance enhancements in this upgrade is the 5mm thicker friction surfaces on each rotor face for a combined 10mm thickness increase per front wheel. This reduces that chances of overheating/warping rotors when towing or aggressive braking.

I'm still wanting the 231mm even though it'll require a little grinding. For the same cost, I'll get the bigger calipers and go through the trouble.
 
whodini said:
Well i'm ready to do the upgrade to the 231mm calipers. I love to fish and i need to tow my boat. That's why i''m going with the 231mm.

My concern is shaving my rims i've got the split spoke rims. Won't doing this put my wheels off balance? I've had a real hard time trying to get my wheels balanced. Now that they're finally balanced i don't want to throw them off balance. Can anybody who has done the upgrade comment on whether hitting the rims with the grinder has caused your wheels to go off balance? I was thinking of using spacers but the minimum size I can find here in Canada is 1" which would give me a ticket as my tires are already .5" out from my fender. I've searched and searched on this site and can't seem to find an answer. Can anybody help me out? Thanks
Click to expand...

Lets not forget about the spare tire. Will this need to be mod too?
 
So I'm going to try once again. Has anybody that has done the tbu with the 6 split spoke rims tried to use spacers to avoid shaving the rims and calipers? Even with those 5mm spacers?

I may just exchange the 231s for 199s sacrificing some braking power. I'd like the extra grab but don't want to cause new vibration problems by shaving the rims. Any comments would be appreciated. Thankfully weather here has been less than ideal for working on the truck :)
 
Having put the 231mm on (but with different rims) I would imagine spacers would take care of your issue due to the calipers would be hitting just the outside edge/curve of the spokes on your rims. However, putting on spacers may cause other issues you would have to factor in. There are quite a few threads I've seen on the pros and cons of putting spacers on. Myself, I don't think the cons outweigh the pros.

My vote: Get some FJ Cruiser rims! (See my signature below for a visual with them on). Either way you go--with either 231mm or 199mm you can't go wrong! This is one of the best mods to do to our trucks, especially for towing trailers. Good luck!
 
Where's the love for the split spoke rims? Lol I personally love the look of them. I just bought new rubber for them over the winter and just got them balanced (which was an adventure in itself). I think if I were to change rims I'd probably go for the land cruiser rims. I'm not saying the fj rims don't look good on your truck don't get me wrong. I think they look fine. Looking for another set of rims is another adventure on itself.

Hopefully I can get away with just a set of 5mm spacers. This would make my life easy at this point. Just concerned about inheriting a vibration issue, that would drive me nuts. I always feel that if I've got vibration it's causing premature wear on my steering and suspension components no matter how minor. I've had people tell me I'm off my rocker but I can't lose the perception of premature wear while I'm driving and the wheels aren't rolling smoothly.
 
Have you tried returning the 231mm and swapping for 199mm? The 199m are fine for towing a small lake boat - your getting the benefit of the over-sized rotors as well as the larger calipers. In the end you really wouldn't notice the difference between 199 and 231. You might need the 231's if you have large/oversized tires and a lot of armor, but if your mostly stock the 199mm's should be more than enough.

I would go with the 199mm over putting in any wheel spacers, not even worth worrying about.
 
Yup I'm certainly thinking about returning them. Problem is part store isreally far. I work late and by the time I get there they are usually closed because I have to commute through rush hour.

Mad I certainly hear you though, it seems like the way to go for me at this point but it's just getting there. I'm swamped at work right now and would just love to go home after work and just get it done. It's a project in limbo mode right now. I need to step away from work early but I'm just too busy. That is my dilemma.
 
Mad finally got some time, I took your advice and returned the 231s for 199s and exchanged the brakes. Swapped painlessly, bled, and road tested. The brakes are much better. Can really feel the fronts grab. Still have soft pedal though, will have to bleed drums and adjust. Will post back results when it's all done. Finally getting some good weather to work on the brakes as well! :)
 
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